The present invention relates to seat belts for vehicles, More particular, the invention is directed to an apparatus for grasping a seat and shoulder belt when the seat and shoulder belt is in its retracted position without the necessity of reaching behind the plane of the occupant's torso.
Conventional seat belts and shoulder belts for the front seats of automotive vehicles includes a seat and shoulder belt which, when engaged, provides restrictive constraint along the passenger's waist and upper torso. When retracted the seat and shoulder belt typically hangs in an approximately vertical line from the upper attachment point of the belt to the automobile. Attachment points are typically located just behind the door opening of the vehicle to allow a passenger to enter and exit the vehicle without interference from the seat and shoulder belt. Once seated, the passenger is compelled to reach across the passenger's torso and slightly behind the plane of the passenger's torso to grasp the seat and shoulder belt. The location of the retracted seat belt is therefore inconvenient for passengers and extremely difficult for those passengers with restricted movement capabilities. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a seat belt handle assembly which may be attached to a seat belt with the handle projecting forward which provides for convenient access by the passenger to the seat and shoulder belt.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a seat belt handle assembly which passively reminds the occupant of the vehicle to engage the occupant's seat belt.